Merck announced that it has completed the acquisition of Verona Pharma plc. It is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Merck, and the American Depositary Shares (ADS) of Verona Pharma will no longer be listed or traded on the Nasdaq Global Market.
Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, Merck, through a subsidiary, has acquired all outstanding shares of Verona Pharma for $107 per ADS, each of which represents eight Verona Pharma ordinary shares, for a total transaction value of approximately $10 billion.
With this acquisition, Merck has added Ohtuvayre (ensifentrine), a first-in-class selective dual inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 3 and 4 (PDE3 and PDE4), to its growing cardio-pulmonary pipeline and portfolio. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Ohtuvayre in June 2024 for the maintenance treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adult patients.
Ohtuvayre is the first novel inhaled mechanism for the maintenance treatment of COPD in more than 20 years and combines bronchodilator and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory effects. Ohtuvayre is also being evaluated in clinical trials for the treatment of non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis.
“The Verona Pharma acquisition strengthens and complements our portfolio of treatments for patients with cardio-pulmonary diseases to include Ohtuvayre, while delivering near and long-term growth as well as value for shareholders,” said Robert M. Davis, chairman and chief executive officer, Merck.
“The addition of Ohtuvayre is another strong example of our business development strategy, which focuses on opportunities where compelling science and value align. Ohtuvayre is a novel, first-in-class maintenance treatment targeting an important unmet need for adult patients with COPD.
“We look forward to applying our commercial capabilities and working with our talented new colleagues from Verona Pharma to build on the strong uptake and performance to date to reach even more patients with this important medicine.”
Ohtuvayre will be amortized as a GAAP-only charge over the life of the product. The transaction is expected to negatively impact non-GAAP EPS by approximately $0.16 in the first 12 months, representing costs associated with financing the transaction, partially offset by Ohtuvayre performance.
